Ohio APSE Board
Ohio APSE Board Members:
I have taken classes at Hocking Technical College, Ohio University (Chillicothe and Lancaster) and finally obtained my Bachelors degree from Ohio Christian University in Management and Ethics. My goal is to advocate for and serve people in such a way that their lives may be led to success and happiness through meaningful work.
Shelly Schoen, Ohio APSE President
Program Manager – Community Employment, Pickaway Diversified, Inc
My career with Diversified Employment Solutions began 9 years ago; however, my experience with community employment began at age 14 when I was offered my first job. In the field of Supported Employment, I started as a Job Coach and worked upward to Job Development before becoming a Program Manager of Community Employment.
I have taken classes at Hocking Technical College, Ohio University (Chillicothe and Lancaster) and finally obtained my Bachelors degree from Ohio Christian University in Management and Ethics. My goal is to advocate for and serve people in such a way that their lives may be led to success and happiness through meaningful work.
Vic Gable, Ohio APSE Vice President
Employment Services Coordinator, Wood County Bd of DD
I have been involved with Supported Employment for over 30 years. The first half of that was as an employer, involved with all aspects of SE: direct hires, job training site, vocational evaluation, enclave and work adjustment. I currently serve as an Employment Services Coordinator for Wood Lane and look after employment of over 300 individuals. Of those 300+ individuals, 200 of them are in community employment. I have been involved with National APSE and Ohio APSE since 1995. I haxe served as President for eight years and currently serve as Vice President . I have been the Region IX Delegate (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee) since 2004. In 2010 was elected to National APSE board.
Dee Marks, Ohio APSE Treasurer
President, Special Education Advancement Council (Parent/Advocate)
Dee’s role as a child advocate started at home when she adopted a daughter with special needs in 1997. Together they have advocated for her daughter’s inclusion in all aspects of the school and community. Dee’s daughter will be graduating in a couple of years and will need supported employment. She became involved in APSE to begin on the road of advocacy for other young adults like her daughter; who deserve the opportunity to not only find and retain employment, but to have that employment be community based, competitive and most importantly something that they find challenging and rewarding. Dee has been President of SEAC for three years and she currently serves as Treasurer for the Ohio APSE Board.
Dianna Walters, Ohio APSE Secretary
Community Employment Services Manager, Fairfield County DD
I have worked with persons with developmental disabilities for almost 30 years. For the past 15 years, I have been the manager of two county Board of MR/DD community-supported employment programs. In addition, I am the parent of two children with developmental disabilities. One of my children is competitively employed in supported employment.
Tom Fish, Ph.D.
OSU Nisonger Center, Director of Social Work and Family Support
Dr. Fish has his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Services from Ohio State University and is currently employed by the OSU Nisonger Center on Excellence in Disability. His professional focus is on teaching, service, program development and research. Dr. Fish directs externally funded projects dealing with sibling support, adult literacy for people with intellectual disabilities and social/vocational support services for young adults with high functioning autism. He has been an Ohio APSE board member for seven years and has served as board’s Treasurer.
T.J. Monroe (serving on both Ohio APSE & National APSE Board)
National Disability Advocate
TJ grew up in a state institution with abuse, neglect, ridicule and persecution. Today, TJ has a full-time job as a security guard and is an international presenter on disability rights and self-advocacy. TJ captivates his audiences with his strength and powerful story. He was our nation’s first representative with a disability to sit on the President’s Committee on Mental Retardation. TJ is a board member for both the Ohio APSE and National APSE Boards.
Jeanne Novak
BGSU
Jeanne Novak is an assistant professor of special education at Bowling Green State University in Northwest Ohio. Dr. Novak teaches courses in special education, transition to adult life, and rehabilitation. Her research interests include the social integration of employees with disabilities at community worksites and the preparation of youth with disabilities to enter the competitive workforce and postsecondary education.
Donna Owens
Adult and Family Services Administrator, OCALI
Donna Owens, M.A., is the Family and Adult Services Administrator for the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) where she is involved the development of programs and resources to support the transition of students with disabilities to community life, including employment, independent living and community participation. Donna was trained as a special educator and has over thirty years experience in the field of disabilities with a focus on service delivery, program development and administration. She has worked in public schools, mental health agencies, residential, and vocational programs. She directed a statewide, multi-agency pilot project to develop community-based program options for young adults with severe intellectual disabilities and severe behavior problems that won an award from the Ohio Council of Administrators of Special Education. She was a training director and parent advocate for the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD) where she worked collaboratively with the Ohio Department of Education-Office for Exceptional Children to develop Ohio’s Parent Mentor program. In addition, Donna has served as a consultant to special education programs in a seven state region, directed a national technical assistance project for consumer-run family support programs. She has presented at numerous conferences for parents, families, and professionals at the national, regional and state levels.
Liaisons:
Michael London
Supportive Employment Specialist, Department of Veterans Affairs
Michael has worked with disadvantage and disabled youth and adults for over 10 years through various positions from a juvenile counselor to his currently t position as the supported employment specialist for the Chillicothe VA. His past employment for J.O.G (Jobs for Ohio's Graduates) as well as the director for the night school program at Chillicothe High School has prepared him for the challenges of his current position. Michael state that it's has been the joy and satisfaction of helping others that has kept him in this field of work. Michael also continues to work with youth in his community and abroad.
Leslie Paull
Adult Services, ODDD
Ohio National Board Members
J. Erin Riehle, MSN, RN
Director of Disability Services
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
ML 5030
3333 Burnet Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
513-636-8729
FAX 513-636-2570
Erin Riehle, MSN, RN is a recognized authority and national leader in promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities and other barriers to employment. She is a founder and Senior Director of Project SEARCH, an employment and transition program that has received national recognition for innovative practices pioneered under Ms. Riehle’s guidance. She is regularly invited to present at national and regional conferences, and has co-authored numerous publications and book chapters. She has served on many national committees, such as the Virginia Commonwealth University Business Leadership Roundtable and the Youth to Work for the United States Business Leadership Network and APSE, Connecting People, Advancing Employment. She is a past member of the Ohio Governor’s Council on People with Disabilities. She has gained over $3 million dollars in foundation and agency support for Project SEARCH programs, and has won numerous awards for her work. Notably, Project SEARCH received the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2004 New Freedom Initiative Award.
Erin Riehle began her career at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as a staff nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit and rapidly advanced to clinical director of the emergency department. Her interest in employment for people with disabilities grew from her frustration with high turnover rates among workers performing critical tasks such as re-stocking emergency room supply shelves. Riehle found that placing individuals with developmental disabilities in these positions was both an effective solution to her staffing problems and an improvement in quality of life for the workers she employed. This positive experience ultimately led to a systematic, hospital-wide effort, led by Ms. Riehle, to explore job possibilities for people with disabilities.
Today, Riehle, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, is director of the Division of Disability Services at the Convalescent Hospital for Children, an affiliate of Cincinnati Children’s. She launched Project SEARCH in 1995 as a partnership between the Division of Disability Services and Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development. The initial mission of Project SEARCH was to provide employment opportunities in a healthcare setting for individuals with disabilities. The initiative has since extended to other industry sectors, and now includes services for individuals with other barriers to employment such as economic disadvantage. Project SEARCH now encompasses four programs, including the High School Transition Program, Adult Employment Program, Transition Clinic, and Education and Outreach focused on program replication and dissemination.
